Pages

Thursday, 27 February 2014

It really bugs me that the eyeshadow and EP are skeewiff! I did take another photo after straightening but this one came out better -.-

EDIT: This competition is now closed and a winner has been chosen.When I first started blogging it was just a pass time as I loved reading blogs and finding out about new products. I never thought I'd actually start to gain a following and I had never even heard of the blogging community.

Its exciting to think 100 people (more including those on my Facebook and Twitter!) constantly see my updates and posts! So, to give something back I've gotten together a few prizes for one lucky winner.

I accidentally went a little wild with the prizes, there were just so many products to choose from! Most of the prizes are things I've mentioned on my blog before, with the exception of my boyfriends band SilverBySkyline's latest EP,a wristband that they have generously given to me,(Hello to any SilverBySkyline bunnies entering!) and the MUA Palette, which I bought two kinds of but haven't tried out my own! The Micellar Water is going to be in my February Favourites, but I wasn't expecting to hit 100 before that!! The prizes are as follows:

Bioré Pore StripsSilveryBySkyline EP "Captives"SilverBySkyline WristbandLee Stafford Hair TreatmentEcosse Candles Votive "Sweet Pea"MUA "Heaven And Earth" PaletteGarnier Micellar Water1x Sachet Of Blackhead Remover*Rimmel Apocalips in "Stellar"MAC Cranberry Eyeshadow *This is a bit of a random addition, but I got so many tweets and comments about the mask I decided to put one of my sachets in!

The Giveaway is easy to enter, simply fill out any of the Rafflecopter options you want to unlock entries! I decided not to make any mandatory options as not everyone will have all of the platforms, but you can enter the tweet option daily :D

Terms and Conditions

1. The Giveaway will run from today 27th of February until midnight on March the 7th

2. One winner will be chosen and will be contacted within 48 hours. If they do not reply within another 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

3. This competition is open to UK residents only.4. Entrees must be over the age of 18.

Monday, 24 February 2014

As I've mentioned before, I have taken a few course at The Academy of Make Up (link) in Glasgow. It's gruelling to wake up at 5.30 in the morning to get a bus/train down for 9.30, but it has definitely been worth it! I've taken the Pro Course which is ongoing, as well as three day courses; Intro To TV and Film, Body painting and Intro To Theatre.

Intro To TV and Film

I went to the Intro To TV and Film first, as it is the the side of make up I am interested in. There were only three students including myself, so it was nice and intimate. The class was taken by Sophie, who works in the TV and Film industry and worked on River City as well as World War Z. She started by giving us a branch graph and information about the different roles within the industry and how we would start. We learnt the processes for TV make up, including continuity and how make up looks under lighting. Then, we were given characters and created a look based on the information we were given.

We then had a demo on how to apply and blend in gelatin wounds and how to colour them to look realistic using grease paints, before trying it out for ourselves. I wasn't too good at blending them and decided to try and cover it with bruising, but I think it's a good first attempt!

After we played about with the gelatin wounds, we regrouped and spent the next hour speaking about the essentials for a kit and which production companies are nearby. We got lots of information and tips on how to get into the industry and what to expect.

Body Painting

The next course I took was the Body Painting. I didn't really know what to expect, but I figured it would be a good skill to have. It was taught by Kat, who started off by showing us the different types of paint and brushes. She showed us the techniques we would need and many examples, including full body paint (with female and male body parts painted, eek!) Then, we were thrown into the deep end and given templates to sketch a design before our models were invited in.

At first I was pretty scared, as I had chosen to paint a Phoenix, which was pretty complex. My model had never been to the Academy before, so he had no idea what to expect- I found this comforting and it made me a but less nervous. I sketched out a rough outline with a white eyeliner pen, before diving in and painting. The actual painting was a lot easier than I expected, although it took a long time. Kat came round each student and gave ongoing advice to help us get the best results. We also used pigments and water to create a more 3D effect, as well as gems.

It took me about 5 hours to complete my Phoenix and in the end I wasn't happy with it. I think it looks okay for a first attempt, but the tail didn't go as I had pictured and it ended up looking more like the Pokémon Moltres than the majestic being that I had imagined. Looking back I know what I would do to differently if I were to attempt the same design again, which is always a good sign!

Intro To Theatre

The last of my day courses is the Intro To Theatre, taught by Romy. We started by looking at the different roles within the theatre industry and which teams we would work with. Then, we looked at the different types of theatre productions and what make up they required. We were introduced to the different types of make up used for theatre and shown the two types of wigs. Romy explained that when she has trained in Germany, she would make the wigs herself, which take on average 60 hours!

Next, we had a demo of a few different ways to dress the hair in preparation for a wig. We learned the correct way to apply and fix a wig onto the head before moving on to a demo of how to create an elderly look on a younger model using grease paints. This was a long process and took a lot of skill.

We then paired up and created an aged look on each other, before putting a wig on to finish the look. I found I had to keep referring to my notes to remember each step, but once I got into the flow I was pretty impressed with the finish look - which I didn't get a good photo of, boo!

I make a beautiful old lady, no?

The thing I loved most about the courses is that all three of the Make Up Artists threw us straight in and came round to support us as we worked. It had a much more trusting atmosphere than an actual college and I felt like I was learning a lot quicker. All of the Artists are currently working in the industry and each teach classes on the parts of the industry the are most involved in. I am loving the Pro Course as well and I've learned so much, but I shall write a separate post on that once it's complete!

Have any of you taken make up courses? Or are you maybe thinking of trying out The Academy Of Make Up?

Although I'm terrible for falling off the horse when it comes to health and fitness, it's something I take an interest and one day maybe I will be able to get 100% serious about it. So when I saw the Hip and Healthy box for £9.95 I jumped on the chance. Unfortunately this is now sold out, which is annoying as I had wanted to get a review up a few weeks ago, but my box was lost in the post and had to be re-sent :(

The box came with a mixture of food, beauty, supplements and vitamins. An extra little surprise was a leaflet with recipes and 10%-20% discount for almost all of the items in the box!

Jax Coconut Water

I LOVE coconut water, it tastes delicious and fresh. This came in a glass bottle which made it seem very fancy. Unfortunately the nearest place I can get it is in Edinburgh, but I'm not too fussed as at £13.50 for 250ml, it seems awful expensive. Still tasted good though!

Bounce Protein Bar

I've had these before so I gave this to Scott, who said it tasted like coconut truffles. The one I tried was the Peanut Butter, which I found extremely hard to chew, but Scott said this one was fine!

Rude Health Granola

When I first poured this into a bowl it seemed like hardly anything, but I found it so filling I could barely finish it! It didn't taste much different from any other granola I tried, but I noticed there are a few delicious flavours and the price isn't bad!

Teapigs Matcha Tea

A high concentration of green tea, match's really packs a punch and it full of antioxidants. This sachet was two servings, which i forgot and put into one very green, very strong cup >.< However it tasted nice and gave me a little pick me up after a long shift.

Together Health Multi Vitamin and Mineral Food Suppliment

I expected these to be little round pills, but they're actually capsules of powder. They smell a bit like dog biscuits, but unlike a lot of capsules they don't have a gross plastic taste like some and don't stick to your tongue. I'm awful at keeping up with what I eat and as a vegetarian I do think multi vitamins are something I should take!

Aduna Baobab Fruit Pulp Powder

I put this sachet into the granola and it had a lovely fruity taste. A source of many nutrients, its an delicious source of fibre and vitamins. It came with a leaflet filled with interesting facts about Baobab!

Organic Superblends Energise Sachet

This supplement I mixed with yogurt, and I couldn't believe how much was in the tiny packet! It had a sharp taste, similar to cinnamon and really helped to wake me up on my 5am bus journey!

Nourish Illuminating Face Shimmer

Although this is a for all over the face, I don't like shimmer so use it as a highlighter instead. It has a good staying power and smells naturally sweet.

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

This balm removes make up with ease and it gentle on the skin. As it says it leave the skin feeling soft and clean, so I just need to add a light moisturiser and I'm good to go!

Neom Complete Bliss Hand Cream

My nail bed and cuticles are always dry and torn, regardless of weekly manicures and cuticle oil. I always forget to use hand cream regularly, so this has been in my handbag to encourage use when rummaging around! It sinks in quickly and leaves my hands feeling soft, but not greasy.

Virgin Active 1 Day Health Pass

This is a lovely addition to the beauty box, but unfortunately the nearest place I could use it is in Glasgow or Edinburgh , which is a 2 hour journey!

I was really impressed with this Beauty Box and I'm finding it difficult to choose what to repurchase first! I think I will get the Multivitamins and either the Baobab or Superblends sachets, as well as the granola seeing as it is pretty cheap! Have any of you tried the above products? What did you think of them?

Monday, 17 February 2014

I've had an account for Latest In Beauty (link) for a long time, but I've never ordered from it before. To be honest, I completely forgot it existed! Recently I saw an ad for another sample site and remembered about LIB, so I decided to have a look. The website had changed a lot and I saw that as well as samples, there were beauty box style collections as well.

I decided to purchase the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Pre Shampoo Treatment, the Dr Nick Lowe Sebum Control Cleanser and the My Vitamins Green Tea Extract tablets. For £7.50 plus postage, I think this is a really good deal for samples I otherwise wouldn't have access to. Also, you can only order one of each, meaning everyone has a fair chance to try each product!

The Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Pre Shampoo treatment is £28 for £150ml on their own website (I have seen it cheaper else where), which is expensive considering I paid £2.50 for 40ml!. I've used it twice and like the texture. It is applied to wet hair and left for 10-20 minutes before shampooing the hair as normal. As I only shampoo my hair twice a week, I've been using this every second day. Unfortunately this means my hair is left with a bit of residue and I've had to shampoo it more often. It recommends regular use so if I did buy it I'd have to only use it when I'm shampooing my hair. It feels nice on my hair but I definitely prefer the Lee Stafford Hair Treatment. (link)

The Dr Nick Lowe Sebum Control Cleanser is again £12 for 200ml, meaning the price for the mini was the same value. As it's a water like liquid, I use it as a second cleanse (I always double cleanse anyway) as I feel that it's not strong enough to take off any make up. It leaves my face feeling clean and oil free, but as I had a breakout before I started using it I can't comment if it prevents them. It hasn't made my skin any worse though! Again, I probably wouldn't buy it again as my current products work fine and are cheaper.

I got a wee surprise and was sent two of the My Vitamin Green Tea's, as my original order was lost by the post and I had to get my order sent out again. I haven't tried the My Vitamins yet, but they are equivalent to 1000mg of whole green tea so hopefully they will give me a boost! This is half of a full size and is £1.99 cheaper.

Now that I've rediscovered Latest In Beauty, I will definitely be using it more often! The addition of Beauty Boxes is gorgeous and I'm tempted whenever a new one is released. I really think it should be possible to get samples of anything before you buy it so this website is right up my alley.

Monday, 10 February 2014

I found Blackhead Killer online on Lux Style and the name immediately made me interested. After a bit of googling I found a few good reviews and decided it was worth a try. Although they're a bit pricey, with 5x 19ml sachets costing £14.95, I am impressed with the pore-sucking abilities.

The website claims that the mask removes pimples, blackheads, excess oil and red skin "in minutes". I never believed this claim, as we all know it can take days for pimples to be reduced, but if it cleared my pores I'd be happy.
The mask resembles thick tar and has a very distinct smell, although I just cannot think of what it reminds me of! The first time I used this mask I put it all over my face, which was a big mistake! My skin is sensitive so the areas around my cheeks were very painful to pull off- and I wax every four weeks so I am good with pain! Since then, I've stuck to using this mask around my nose, chin and forehead. I use small travel pots to keep the excess mask in as I obviously don't need a whole sachet, so luckily it doesn't dry out. I get about 3 uses out of each sachet.

The directions say to apply a layer, avoiding delicate areas such as the eyes and lips and to avoid the hair line. Leave for 10 minutes until dry and peel off. I find that I need to leave the mask on for about 30 minutes to dry properly, as I need a thick layer to stop it peeling off unevenly.

As I said, I didn't expect the mask to peel off every single impurity straight away, which it didn't. However, it did lift off a lot of dead skin and some clogged pores, which is good!

Breakdown

How fascinatingly gross is this?

Gunk Sucking Power

I could have put a much more delicate title, but this was too fitting! Although when the mask is peeled off I can see a definite difference and the underside of the mask is covered in dead skincells.

Price
This was tough to decide; for a face mask this is expensive considering there's only enough for 5 full faces. However, I feel that Blackhead Killer is on par with many nose pore strips, which can be pretty expensive.

Packaging

As you get sachets instead of a pot, I find it hard to like the packaging. It is bright and striking, plus the name made me want to try the mask immediately, but it would be much nicer in some sort of pot.

I'm undecided if I will buy these again once I finish these sachets, has anyone else tried them? What's your favourite mask? Do you look for something to draw out impurities or to add moisture?

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

I love reading posts by bloggers about Liebster Awards, but I've never been nominated before. The other day, I received a lovely tweet from Sophy (LashesandSplashes) saying that she had nominated me! So, here we go :)

The Rules

1. You must link back to the person who nominated you.

2. You must answer the 11 questions given by the nominee before you.

3. You pick 11 nominees with under 200 (or there about) followers to answer your questions.

4. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.

5. You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you.

Sophy's Questions

1. Best high end makeup purchase?

This is a hard one, the only high end make up I've used is MAC to be honest! I love the Oil Control Lotion that I bought last month, it feels really nice and smooth on my face as well helping to stop any excess oil.

2.If you could only use one item of makeup for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Mascara, I have horrid white-blonde lashes that look invisible without a few coats!

3.Have you stuck to your new year resolutions?

It's still early doors for a lot of mine, but I've already started to progress and fail. I've started to try and improve my blog, I bought a camera to take better photos and will be learning to use it properly in the next few weeks. I haven't gotten back into exercising and eating more healthy, but I'm aware that I need to as I can feel that my body has changed.

4.Favourite item of clothing that you own and why?

My spirit hood, it's so cosy and cute!

5.What do you like to do in your spare time?

Most of my spare time is spent watching TV or movies with my boyfriend and looking at blogs or working on my own blog.

6.What is a beauty item you have bought and wished you hadn't?

I know there's so many, but I really can't think! I remember the Bourjois Clubbing mascara being extremely awful and always over spilling out of the tube, so let's go with that!

7.What is your next blogging goal (if you have one)?

To reach 100 followers! I currently have 61 on Bloglovin' so I'm just over half way there!

Monday, 3 February 2014

January seems to have flown by and I can't believe I am writing this post already! My favourite items this month are all related to Christmas, either being presents, or being treats I've spend my Christmas money on.

The first item in my January Favourites is the UNII Palette I got for Christmas. It's so much handier having a selection of eyeshadows rather than trying to squeeze one or two into my make up bag. Also, as I've got my bronze and blush in there, there is more room in my make up bag!

One of the eye colours I always have in my palette is Cranberry by MAC. I was originally looking for a purple and chose Noctournal, but when the artist was looking in the drawer for it I spotted Cranberry and instantly fell in love. I was worried it would clash with my pale skin red hair combo, but it looks lovely and really brightens my blue eyes. I've had compliments about my eye make up every time I've worn this colour!

When visiting MAC I also picked up some of the Oil Control Lotion as I have finally run out of my previous primer. This stuff has been amazing, I apply it as I would a normal primer and I see such an obvious difference in the staying power of my make up. The only this i'm dissapointed about is discovering that it's cheaper to get 2 travel sized bottles than the one I bought. As my friend Jenyth pointed out, it also means and extra Back To MAC!I recently bought the Essie Rock Solid Bottom Coat. It does exactly what it says on the tin! My nails really to feel rock solid and protected, as well as my polish staying on longer, as always with Essie!I've been digging a mix of black polish and glitter topcoats, so the Ted Baker polish I received as part of a set from my Secret Santa joins my January favourites.What are your favourite items this month? Are you still looking towards winter warmers for comfort, or are you treating yourself with Christmas money?